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Brunswick’s hostel endures 39 years

Tom Dennard built the Hostel in the Forest in 1975 as a haven for international travelers.

He’d gotten the idea while staying in such places himself during backpacking trips around Europe. Providing basic accommodations, hostels are popular among travelers out to see the world on a budget — generally younger ones but not exclusively.

And for years, those kinds of travelers made up the bulk of the business in the woods west of Brunswick and Interstate 95.